Swiss Biohygienic Equipment (SBE), a joint venture among Bioengineering Switzerland, AMS Technology Germany and Incepta Pharmaceuticals Bangladesh, yesterday opened a plant in Savar to produce hygienic process systems for the pharmaceuticals sector.

The 33,000-square feet electro polishing plant will manufacture instruments that are needed to produce pharmaceuticals, Mosaddeque Mahmud Rizwan, managing director of SBE, told The Daily Star.

Currently, local medicine makers bring in pharmaceuticals manufacturing instruments from several countries, including China, Japan and Germany.

The plant will help local firms lower their dependence on the import of such equipment, Rizwan said at the launch of the factory at Krishnapura Sahabelishor in Dhamrai.

“There is no such product manufacturing company in Bangladesh. Our first target is to capture the local market. Later, we will go for exports of the equipment.” The produce of the plant will be exported to several countries and earn a lot of foreign currencies for Bangladesh, said Kazi Shofiqul Azam, senior secretary of the Economic Relations Division, at the event.

Major General Md Mustafizur Rahman, director general of the Directorate General of Drug Administration; SM Shafiuzzaman, secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries; and Abdul Muktadir, chairman and managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals, were also present at the inaugural ceremony.

The plant will also produce pressure vessel, manufacturing vessel and storage vessel for the pharma sector, according to the SBE officials. These vessels are made up of stainless steel to process sterile and non-sterile liquids for the pharmaceuticals sector.